Archive for the ‘Style’ Category

Almost two years ago, we enjoyed an amazing event in Paris: the Tattoo Art Fest. I don’t exactly know what happened to that one, but some true believers decided to launch the same kind of initiative, Mondial du tatouage, once again in Paris. Among the organizers was the most famous French tattoo artist: Tin-Tin. It took us about five seconds to decide: hell yes!! Let’s go check out some outrageous tattoos!

First, let me point out that when you attend this kind of event it means that:
a) If your skin is still virgin, you will feel a desperate need to get some ink!
b) If you already have some ink, you will feel a super-extra-desperate need to get some more!

Once there, it’s really hard not to be astounded by the quantity of artists coming from every corner of the world. Some are celebrities – like Paul Booth – some are new names in the tattoo world but what is sure is that every possible style is represented! This is the kind of place where you can find everything from retro tattoos, girly ones, Japanese, gothic, ugly cats – trust me, absolutely everything! It’s even possible to get inked old-school style by two guys at the same time (maximum levels of pain guaranteed!). Tickets were definitely not cheap, but the event was pretty unique and the venue really excellent!

I have to admit that I don’t completely get how people can stand to be tattooed in such a place, with zero privacy and a bunch of strangers taking pictures of your private parts! I mean, this is typically the kind of moment in which you look at your worst – sweating to endure the pain, tears coming down your face and desperately trying to think of something else so that you don’t look like a wimp. Luckily not everybody shares this opinion and there was plenty of people getting their ink done and very happy to be looked at while doing so!

We were lucky to be there on Friday morning, when it was not yet crowded and when you could hear the lovely buzzing of needles already filling the entire space. All in all, a lot of fun and the perfect opportunity to take some crazy pictures of some crazy people.Enjoy our captions and hope to see you there next year!

By the way, here is a small list of tattoo artists we got to see in action and who completely blew our minds:

Mondial du tatouage 2013 (Paris – 03.22.2013)

Growing up, we had two rules in my household – no swearing and no tattoos. Well, that’s a lie actually, we had heaps more rules than that (stay away from the liquor cabinet, get your elbows off the table, blah blah) – but those first two seemed to carry a lot of gravity; you knew you were going to let Mum down if you came out with the “F” bomb or refused to wear a bathing suit for fear of exposing a low lying tramp stamp (aaah, the errors of youth, eh?). And as I got older, my fear of needles took over, (I once fainted three times while having a blood test), and so now I find myself one of the rare specimens from my generation that does not have a single tattoo. So, it was with a touch of irony and a small defiant grin on my lips that I headed off to one of Europe’s largest tattoo festivals to check out the best of them!

I was not disappointed – before Dr Black and I even entered the gates, we were greeted with a row of Harley Davidson motorbikes that made Google’s version of chrome look lame; as well as a succession of festival goers, clad in a mixture of black, fishnet, leather, and covered (sometimes literally) from head to toe in tattoos. And it was held in one of the best locations in Paris – underneath a large, old fashioned red velvet lined circus tent! The ambience was awesome, and no matter what direction your gaze was drawn to, beautifully tattooed women and guys with piercings that made me cringe, there was something for everyone. At one point, I had to pick Dr. Black’s tongue off the floor as another tall and creatively dressed “femme fatale” passed by in a blur of colour and needle work. [read more]

Even though I’ve never really had the balls to get a big kick ass tattoo on myself, I am a huge fan of body ink, especially if it’s well executed and out of the ordinary.

That’s why when I saw Amanda Wachob portfolio I was blown away. Look at this inventive work! It doesn’t even look like tattoos. I just love the use of colour and the lightness of the design. Seriously amazing!

Amanda’s abstract tattoos are probably her most original work but if you feel like something really simple and yet unique you should also check out her conceptual line of body art called “bloodlines”. It’s basically a simple tattoo but executed with distilled water instead of ink which makes the marking impermanent. It’s also very meaningful as it is intended that as your body heals the mark, the symbol’s energies are absorbed. Cool stuff, right?

So if you’re planning to get some ink done and you want something totally unconventional, think about taking a little trip to New York city where you can get an appointment with the amazing Amanda at Dare Devil Tattoo.

Oh, and thanks to Grace at Design Sponge for introducing me to this awesome artist. Check out her website for the coolest design tips and inspiration!

Warning: this post is FOR GIRLS ONLY! Yeah okay, dudes might be interested in taking a peek as well since there are so many cute girls in awesome rock’n'roll outfits and, really, how can you resist that?

Anyway. I just thought it would be cool to check out a few inspiring styles from one of the most fashionable festivals around: Coachella!

In fact this Californian festival, which took place in April, is not only proud to have one of the most amazing line-ups of the season (check out what you missed here….buhuuuuu) but has also become one of the most can’t miss fashion gatherings in the world (except for us ’cause we missed it and we’re still alive!). Featuring side events and after parties hosted by the likes of Philip Lim, Mulberry, All Saints and Adidas, all the Hollywood stars and fashion bloggers flocked to Coachella to see and be seen in their hot ensembles.

Which makes me wonder….is this a music festival or a fashion orgy? I mean, I love the glam factor, don’t get me wrong, but it isnt’ really rock’n'roll…or is it?? Surely Janis Joplin would not approve of a stars-studded, champagne-flooded pool-party… or would she? Well, who cares.

Let’s just look at these hot chicks in their rad outfits and hopefully we can gather some ideas for OUR own festival adventures. Can’t wait!

I am so over Winter and so jealous of those of you who live on the other side of the world and are enjoying the warm temperatures already…bastards! I mean, coats and wools are kind of fun at the beginning of the season when they’re all new and cozy, but after months of freezing my ass off, they’re starting to get old. And like my idol Liz Lemon says “it’s dark and freezing and everyone’s wearing bulky coats. You can do some serious subway flirting before you realize the guy is homeless”. So true.

Thankfully Spring is just around the corner in this part of the globe, which means t shirts and shorts are about to resurface in my wardrobe. In the meantime, let me show you a few rad looks from the most stylish fashionistas out there. Lots of inspiration to take for your next outfits! Check it out and go take a peek at their blogs for more stylish looks.

Hey there, fashion lovers! So it appears that dirty jeans are back.
Whaaaaaaat? You say. Yeah man, I say. In fact you might have noticed that fashion designers seriously lack imagination and the same stuff keep coming back every 3-4 years or so.

Therefore I hope you haven’t thrown away your circa ’95 wardrobe, because dirty denim is once again back in our lives! If you have, however, no worries; because Diesel has an entire new collection dedicated to dirty wash jeans, all kinds of cool denim in every possible shape and colour…check it out here!

Oh, and if you don’t know what dirty denim is just imagine a pair of jeans on a miner coming out from a long hard day of work…stains, holes and a general filthy look. Why would you want a pair of jeans like that, you ask? Because it’s cool! So jump on the trend and happy shopping!